Secondary coach Kris Richard of the New Orleans Saints reacts during the third quarter against the SeattleSeahawks at Lumen Field on Oct.25, 2021, in Seattle. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images) Three head coaches and three defensive coordinators in three seasons means Stanford won't be taking a lot of continuity into its 2026 opener against visiting Hawaii on Aug. 29.But the Cardinal players are taking a change-can-be-good approach as they prepare for their first game under head coach Tavita Pritchard and defensive coordinator Kris Richard (pronounced Ri-shard)."Obviously, it's not always ideal, learning a new scheme every single year," redshirt senior linebacker Matt Rose said after practice Thursday morning, "but I try to look at the positives out of it. I've learned so much about football."Everyone has their scheme, but at the end of the day, football is football."Junior cornerback Brandon Nicholson said, "I think every year- no matter what the case is- our group comes in determined. And we come in receptive to whoever is our defensive coordinator and we listen."Nicholson said he and his teammates are particularly enthused about listening to Richard."He's captivated our room," Nicholson said.Redshirt senior defensive lineman Zach Rowell said Richard "is a bad dude, man. You can feel his tenacity and his energy when you talk to him."Stanford hired Pritchard in late November to replace interim head coach Frank Reich, who had taken the job March 31, 2025, after Troy Taylor was fired. Pritchard hired Richard in mid-February.A longtime NFL assistant coach whose most recent job was coaching the Jacksonville Jaguars' defensive backs in 2024, Richard said he talked to the Stanford players about the fact they've had to adjust to three different staffs in three seasons."You do address it because you want everybody to know that they're being seen," Richard said. "But once it's addressed, then we move on."Bobby April was the Cardinal's defensive coordinator in 2024 and Andy Thompson was in charge of the defense last season.Richard was a defensive back at USC (1998-2001). He played three seasons (2002-04) with the Seattle Seahawks and one game in 2005 with the 49ers.He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at USC under head coach Pete Carroll in 2008. Richard followed Carroll to the Seahawks in 2010 as an assistant defensive backs coach. Richard became Seattle's defensive coordinator for three seasons (2015-17).Richard later had stints on the defensive staffs of the Cowboys (2018-19), Saints (2021-22) and Jaguars (2024). He was New Orleans' co-defensive coordinator in '22.He wants his players to be "running, hitting. Doing it with an energy and an enthusiasm and a love and a dominant spirit."As for a significant scheme change, Richard will have the Cardinal use four down linemen as the base alignment. Stanford had gone with three down linemen in its base defense the previous few years."It just lets us play and free fast," Rowell said, "which ideally for big boys up front, that's what we want."Rose finished tied for second in the ACC with 106 tackles last season. He said that after spring ball and summer workouts, he's excited about the progress the defense has made."You can finally feel the defense coming together in terms of communication, alignment, assignment," Rose said.Last season, the Cardinal finished 13th in the 17-team ACC in scoring defense (29.2 points per game) and yards allowed per game (408.2).That was an improvement from 2024, when Stanford was last in scoring defense (33.7) and 16th in yards allowed per game (413.5).The Stanford defense hopes to make an even more significant jump this season under Richard."It's obvious he knows what he's talking about. He believes what he's talking about," Nicholson said. "We are basically a vessel for him."Briefly: When asked to name a relatively unknown defensive player who will make a big impact this season, Richard and the players quoted in this story all mentioned redshirt junior defensive lineman Braden Marceau-Olayinka. Thompson has remained on the Farm as inside linebackers coach. Reich is now the New York Jets' offensive coordinator.Steve Kroner is a freelance writer. Email: skroner@sbcglobal.net; X: @SteveKronerSFSubscribeTheres more to San Francisco with the Chronicle. Subscribe today for just 25.This article originally published at New coordinator adds to optimism with Stanford defenders.